The invention relates generally to electrical connectors and more specifically to electrical connectors that have a separate lock piece that is attached to a connector body to prevent withdrawal of terminals disposed in terminal cavities in the connector body.
An electrical connector commonly has an electrical lead with an electric terminal attached thereto and which is inserted into a cavity in the electrical connector. U.S. Pat. No. 4,992,063 granted to William L. Stein, Sr. discloses an electrical connector having a connector body with two rows of cavities and electric terminals having depending stop tabs disposed therein which limit insertion of the terminals into the cavities. A separate bifurcated lock member is attached to the connector body by inserting the lock member between, generally parallel to, and in the direction of insertion of the terminals into the cavities to prevent withdrawal of the electrical terminals disposed in the terminal cavities. The bifurcated lock member acts as a stop behind the depending stop tabs of the electric terminals.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,145,356 granted to Alan J. Minnis discloses an electrical connector having a receptacle portion with cavities for receiving up to twelve electrical terminals each having a receptacle end and a lead end. The receptacle end is locked into the cavity by a latch arm that flexes outwardly when the receptacle is inserted into the cavity, then returns to a non-flexed position once the receptacle end bypasses the latch arm such that a catch of the latch overlies a portion of the receptacle end of the terminal to resist withdrawal of the terminal. To prevent the latch arm from inadvertently deflecting outwardly once the receptacle end is locked in position, an anti-backout insert having three rows of anti-backout spigots is inserted into a side of the receptacle portion opposite the terminal lead insertion side. The anti-backout spigots are inserted behind the lock arms such that they are prevented from deflecting outwardly. By preventing outward deflection of the lock arms, the receptacle end of the terminal is locked into position.
The invention provides an electrical connector having a terminal position assurance and lock device that acts as both a stop behind receptacle portions of electrical terminals and to prevent flexing of cavity flex lock arms which retain the electrical terminals in the electrical connector to positively position the electrical terminals and prevent their inadvertent withdrawal from the electrical connector. Insertion of the electrical terminal into a terminal cavity causes the cavity flex lock arm in the cavity to flex inwardly, permitting the electrical terminal to be received in the cavity. Once the electrical terminal is inserted, the lock arm returns to its unflexed position to retain the electrical terminal. The terminal position assurance and lock device has at least two fingers and is releasably inserted into a mating formation of passages that extend laterally through the length of the electrical connector generally transverse to the orientation of the electrical terminals positioned in the terminal cavities. One of the fingers passes behind receptacle portions of the electrical terminals to act as stops, preventing the electrical terminals from being removed from the electrical connector. The second finger passes next to the cavity flex lock arms to prevent the lock arms from flexing inward significantly such that inadvertent withdrawal of the electrical terminals is prevented. When desired, the terminal position assurance and lock device can be removed to facilitate removal of the electrical terminal ends from the electrical connector.
Accordingly, one advantage of the current invention is to provide a terminal position assurance and lock device that functions as both a terminal stop and to prevent inadvertent flexing of the cavity flex lock arms to provide terminal position assurance and retain the terminals in their cavities.
Another advantage of the invention is that the terminal position assurance and lock device is inserted and extends transversely to the direction of the terminal end insertion to provide a secure locking mechanism that resists becoming loosened from movement of the electrical terminals.
Another advantage of the invention is to provide a terminal position assurance and lock device that is easy to both assemble and disassemble from the electrical connector.
Yet another advantage of the invention is to provide an easy to manufacture terminal position assurance and lock device to reduce the total cost of manufacturing electrical connector components.